PHOENIX – How does someone who’s blind navigate the physical and mental challenges of one of the world’s most demanding sports, let alone prepare for the rigors of college life? That was the central question among hundreds of others that have surrounded the life of Adonis Watt: the inspirational high school athlete of Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix who garnished state-wide and national attention for overcoming his diagnosis of congenital glaucoma to play the highest division of high school football in Arizona.
For those who are unaware, Watt became a state-wide celebrity in 2018 and 2019, in which a 15 year old Adonis was making headlines for overcoming a condition that was triggered from a pool incident when he was five years old. But his persistence on playing high school football and doing so at an elite level, made him a namesake across the Valley, raising the eyebrows of legends of the game in the region like Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, and even building a relationship with current Philadelphia Eagles running back, Saquon Barkley.
His story reached far and wide, from being recognized by former Arizona Gov. Doug Doucey asa “superhero,” to Marvel Comics visiting his Chandler home and inspiring an entire comicbook around him. However, three years after his time as a well-known high school athlete on the gridiron, Adonis remains focused on the goal that made him famous in the first place: reaching the National Football League.
“I’m still in the gym four to five times a week,” Watt said. “Essentially, the goal has stayed the same, just the time has changed a little bit. I’m trying to get to the league one way or the other.”
While that has been Adonis’s main focus, his priorities these last three years have been entangled in school as well, now as a junior at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass
Commuication at Arizona State Univesity pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism.
And while his dreams for the future may not center around the current path he may be venturing towards in the classroom, Watt does see a way for him to stay involved in the sports scene off the field. Nevertheless, he is well aware that as the weeks and months go by, the decision on which path he wants to venture down will be looming.
“In the next year or two, I’m going to really be at a crossroads in which way I’m going,” Watt pointed out. “I’ve been able to balance working out and pursuing this degree, but I understand the day is coming in whether me playing football is going to help me or not.”
Adonis did express interest that if his football wishes can not be granted, that he would aspire to potentially venture into the world of sportstalk radio; a path that many sports jounralists believe is still as relevant as ever in the modern landscape, even in today’s vastly changing sports media world. Watt even expressed interest into potentially hosting his own podcast.
“I would like to do something of that effect,” Watt said. “Some place where I can sit down in front of a mic and talk about sports. That’s the ultimate goal, whether that includes football or not.”
Adonis’s goals and ambition truly encompass the whole purpose of how his story garnished so much popularity to begin with. It’s a reminder that true vision isn’t about what you see with your eyes; it’s about what you envision for yourself and how you bring it to life. His journey forces us to confront our own limitations—not the physical or external ones, but the mental barriers we impose on ourselves.
Nevertheless, Watt’s life story has been retold, rehashed, and rinsed in a new form for audiences for years, even in the time since his high school graduation. However, what is clear is that he has never minded the publicity he has received and loves to still answer questions about his journey, all in an effort to inspire the next generation of children and parents who may encounter what his has experienced.“I never minded the interviews or questions I was asked a lot back then and still sometimes now,” Watt stated. “All I hoped was that maybe some black kids or some black family hears my story and can see me in them in that they can do whatever they want, if they put their mind to it.”
